Ripken teams up with college to build new facility

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation will partner with Springfield (Mass.) College to design and build a one-of-a-kind intercollegiate and adaptive baseball park on that campus, officials announced on Monday.

Ripken, along with Springfield College president Mary-Beth Cooper and foundation board chair Mark Butler, signed the partnership agreement during the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation board meeting at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel. Tony Reagins, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of youth programs, was also in attendance.

“We at Springfield College feel privileged to work with Cal Ripken and the foundation to build a field that will serve our intercollegiate baseball team, as well as the greater Springfield community, including those with disabilities,” Cooper said. “When we were looking for quality national strategic partners for this important initiative, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation immediately rose to the top of our list. This partnership is an organic one for Springfield College because of the similar values and mission.”

The project fits with the mission of Springfield College — to educate students in spirit, mind and body to serve others. It also aligns with the mission of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation — to build character and teach critical life lessons to at-risk young people through sports-themed programs.

“As a foundation, we are always striving to create opportunities for youth to excel not just on the playing field, but in the game of life,” Butler said. “We are proud to work together with Springfield …

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